


Bloodlines

by Platonic_Wife



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Imprinting, Imprinting (Twilight), No Imprinting on Children, Shapeshifting, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29200194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platonic_Wife/pseuds/Platonic_Wife
Summary: 17-year-old Jane Levey is a student, a sister, a friend, and, unbeknownst to her, a Quileute. She and her older sister have relocated from the Makah Tribe Reservation to Forks, WA, sending Jane to Forks High School for the last half of her senior year. When her new friends start keeping secrets from her and she's left in the dark, there's nothing left to do but solve the mystery herself.Myths clash with reality and Jane is forced to make a choice -- Will she be able to accept her new life, even if that means leaving her old one behind?
Relationships: Jacob Black/Bella Swan, Paul Lahote/Original Female Character(s), Quileute Shifters (Twilight)/Other(s), Sam Uley/Emily Young
Kudos: 12





	1. First Days

First days are never fun for anybody. If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying. First days are dreadful; first day of class, first day back from break, first day of work. At least for most people, those first days are surrounded with other people also going through the same, dreadful experience. Misery loves company, right? Some, however, were in the unlucky group that Jane Levey was currently sitting in — or, standing, in this case.

Fifteen pairs of eyes stared at her from the center of the room, all of them equally unfamiliar to Jane as she straightened her back, remembering the advice her sister, Anne, had given her that morning. _If you look confident, you’ll become confident._

The harsh sound of flipping paper brought her attention away from the curious gazes.

“Angela, raise your hand,” the teacher called out; Mr. Varner, if she remembered correctly from the name plate on the classroom door. Across the room, one hand lifted into the air. Following the movement, Jane spotted the owner of the hand, a dark-haired girl with light, oval-shaped glasses that she could make out even from the front of the room.

“You’ll be seated next to Angela Weber. I do have assigned seating so prepare to be sitting there the rest of the semester,” Mr. Varner continued indiscriminately, barely checking to see if Angela had even followed his instructions before he was tossing the seating chart back onto his desk.

Not the warmest welcome, but at least she hadn’t had to stand and introduce herself, Jane thought gratefully as she made her way through the desks. By the time she had taken her seat, Mr. Varner was already lecturing again, filling the silence that had followed her to her seat.

“Jane, right?” The timid voice came from beside her, a quaint smile paired with it as her desk-mate turned a bit to face her. Jane couldn’t help but think that she looked very.. academic. Not to turn to stereotypes, but between the glasses and the quiet disposition, and the organized notes she spied on her desk, it was easy enough to guess.

“Right,” she answered, giving her a grin. “And you’re Angela. Mr. Varner really does a great job at introductions.” Perhaps it was because Angela reminded her of her friend, Emily, but she found herself relaxing in her presence despite the hard voice that resounded from the front of the room. At least the teacher wouldn’t be able to hear them talking over the sound of his own voice.

She earned a short laugh from the girl, and Jane couldn’t help but feel pleased. Hopefully she’d made a good first impression.

“Listen,” Angela continued, her voice soft and quiet as a mouse. Or, a student afraid of getting in trouble for talking. Jane didn’t share the sentiment, but for her classmate’s sake, she tried to be inconspicuous as she leaned closer to hear her. “Lunch is after this class, if you haven’t seen your schedule yet. It’s already the middle of the year, so everyone’s kind of picked their spots, so..”

The girl trailed off, making Jane wonder if there was something wrong before she continued with, “Do you want to sit with my friends? They kind of already heard about you and they wanted me to ask.”

Ah, so that’s why she was so sheepish. Her friends had asked her to do it.

“New students are that popular, huh? Already made my debut before I’d even made it into class?” Jane joked dryly, giving Angela a smile. “I don’t mind. Honestly, you’re doing me a favor.”

Angela seemed relieved, and she mouthed the words ‘Thank you’ to Jane before turning her focus back to the notebook in front of her. It seemed like this wouldn’t be an awkward first day, after all. Hopefully she didn’t jinx it.

The last few minutes of class were shared in silence, broken only by the scratching of pencils across paper. Calculus, huh? Jane flipped through the book she’d received for the class, full of worksheets and homework problems, and mentally reminded herself not to groan aloud.

Instead of working on the problems - she’d have to remember to ask Angela for her notes - Jane focused on the view outside of the window to her left. The weather wasn’t that different from Neah Bay: cold, dreary, and, unfortunately, more rainy than anything. Even in the middle of January, it seemed like the rain couldn’t allow the snow to share the spotlight, leading to mushy piles of sleet that gathered along the edges of the sidewalks and roads. No “Winter Wonderlands” here in Forks, WA.

The harsh ringing of the bell was a welcome sound after the painful silence of schoolwork, and she wasted no time packing up her things and following Angela into the hallway.

Before they’d even made it to the cafeteria, the two of them were greeted by a small pack of boys, one of which immediately drew Angela’s hand into his own.

“Hey, Ben!” Angela greeted him cheerfully, sounding much more relaxed now than she had in the classroom. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered the girl at her side, “Oh! Ben, this is Jane! Jane, this is Ben, my boyfriend.”

Ben, who she noticed now was just a few inches shorter than Angela, gave Jane a quick grin. “So I’ve heard! Word travels quick here at Forks High,” he mused, though his attention stayed on her for only a moment. It was clear that there was only one girl that could keep his attention, and that was sweet Angela, Jane noticed with a smile.

The other two boys, though, were a different story. As soon as Ben’s introduction was over, Jane found that they had formed a little cluster as they walked through the hall as they all tried to join the same conversation.

“Angela, you’re not gonna introduce us, too?” One of them encouraged her, earning a quick eye-roll from Angela.

“Jane,” she half-sighed, though her smile proved she wasn’t that annoyed, “This is Mike Newton,” A wave from the blond, baby-faced boy, “And Eric Yorkie.” The one that had spoken up a second ago, Eric, gave her a grin. His black hair nearly covered his eyes with how long it was, but it was an endearing look on him.

It was then that she realized she hadn’t spoken up yet, clearing her throat as they entered the cafeteria in the same, oversized cluster. “Well, I’d introduce myself, but you guys seem to know me already,” she started, ignoring the embarrassment that prickled at her skin. On the reservation, she had grown up with every kid in her class and could name each and every one of them. This was her first time making new impressions with people her age that she had never met before.

There were two girls already seated at the circular lunch table, a peppy-looking girl with dark brown hair and another dark-haired girl who was.. definitely not as peppy-looking. Even from here she could see the dark bags under her eyes, but since she was trying not to stare, Jane just chalked it up to her pale skin. Underneath all of that, though, she was pretty, even Jane could tell that much.

“Finally,” the peppy girl groaned as the group made it to the table. “I’ve been sitting here with zombie girl for like five minutes.”

Jane started at that, glancing quickly at the pale-skinned girl that had clearly been labelled ‘zombie girl.’ That was rude..

Following her gaze, the disgruntled girl just shook her head, flashing a quick half-smile in Jane’s direction.

“Don’t get worked up. She didn’t even hear it. This is Bella Swan,” she said with a tone that suggested she would rather talk about anything else. “Don’t get your feelings hurt if she doesn’t talk to you.”

It seemed like there was more to the story, and Jane almost asked, but the girl continued without giving her a chance. “But I’m Jessica! President of the Student Council and the volleyball team. Oh, are you interested in joining? We really need some girls, and honestly, being tall isn’t all that goes into it. You need muscle, and you look like you’ve got more than others. Sorry, Angela,” she added as an afterthought, flashing Angela a smile.

“Ah, thanks?” It came out as more of a question. This girl was a chatterbox, Jane thought, but before she could say anything else, Jessica was scooting over to another seat, opening up the spot between her and Bella.

Taking the bait, Jane tried to reign in her first impressions of both girls on either side of her as she sat down.

It took nothing out of Jane to get Jessica going once she was seated.

“You’re from the reservation, right? Or, well, not La Push, the other one!”

“Your hair is so long! I wish mine would get like that, but hey, I make up for it with volume!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to join the volleyball team? You must’ve had sports at your old school, right?”

It was.. tiring. But, as the conversation went on, Jane just tried to get used to the ill-represented curiosity and answer her questions as they popped off. In fact, she was only partially paying attention when Jessica suddenly stopped talking, looking at her expectedly.

Crap, had she missed something?

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted to come to First Beach with us this weekend!” Props to Jessica for keeping the exasperation out of her voice. “It’s supposed to be sunny, so we’re going down there for a little cookout. You should come, we’re all going!”

Already an invitation? Her older sister would be proud.

“Everybody’s going?” Jane echoed, earning nods from everyone.. except the girl to her left. “What about..?”

“We invite her, but it’s been forever since she’s actually said yes. Or no. Or anything at all,” Mike explained, catching the conversation before Jessica could. “She’s been depressed ever since the—”

Angela shushed him harshly, a sound that surprised everyone at the table. “Don’t say their name. You’ll just make things worse. She can hear you. Don’t act like she isn’t there,” she scolded him, making him wince. The protectiveness in her voice, coming from such a quiet girl.. She must have been Bella’s friend, more so than Jessica.

“Who?” Jane couldn’t help but ask. The shared looks that crossed the table made her feel like she was on the outs of some secret, and a lump formed in her throat.

“The Cullens.”

___________________________________

  


Jane wished she had asked more questions, but sitting beside Bella, it felt wrong. Instead, lunch passed by almost like a blur and before she knew it, the final bell was ringing and her first day was over. Thoughts of the Cullens, as mysterious as they sounded, would continue to hover around her for days to come, as unrelenting as the millions of questions she had been asked herself all day long.

Bundled up in her coat, as worn and faded as it was, Jane hurried to find solace from the freezing air that threatened to creep past her coat and reach her bones. Over the sound of cranking cars and the general mumble of conversations as students meandered out of the building, the sound of her name being called made her whip her head around.

“Jane!” There, across the lot, stood Ben, Angela, and Jessica, the first of which was waving his arms to grab her attention.

Even from here, his heartfelt grin made her smile and she waved back. The burst of cold air that drifted down her sleeve almost made her regret the action, but the extra-enthusiastic waves she got in return made it worth it.

“You better not ditch us tomorrow! It’s a small school, we’ll see if you sit with someone else!” Ben called, making other students turn their heads at the sound, but Jane just grinned.

“I’m already stuck with you guys, got it,” she replied, earning a small laugh from the group that she could hear from beside her truck. Desperate to get out of the cold, she hopped into the driver’s seat and shut the door, effectively muffling the sounds outside and locking the cold air inside the cabin.

During the drive home, Jane had to keep her coat securely wrapped around her body even inside the truck because, as unfortunate as it was, she had neglected to fix her truck’s broken heating unit even in the dead of winter. The only one she could blame was herself; it had been broken for months, but between the move and her own procrastination, she had left herself without a heater.

Honestly, she was surprised it had managed the drive to and from the reservation during their move. Neah Bay itself was an hour and a half away from Forks, so having to run through that drive several times had nearly drained her poor truck dry, but it had persevered!

Her new home was only a short drive from the school. The driveway was unmistakably overgrown with creeping weeds, and her truck complained loudly as it went bounding down the long drive as she got further from the road.

Perhaps it was a bit of a fixer-upper, a thought that had crossed her mind when she and her sister had first moved in and now echoed in her mind as she approached the house. It was small— quaint, as Anne put it. The house may have been yellow at one point, but now it had faded after years of erosion that had left even the shutters a muted brown.

Ivy brought back the color to the house, but it wouldn’t be long before she’d have to get to work on getting it off of the shutters and paneling, a thought that already had Jane’s muscles aching

There were two cars in the driveway when Jane parked her truck. Anne’s car was still in the same place it had been that morning, but there was another familiar car parked directly beside it, neatly parked compared to her sister’s haphazard parking. Recognition sparked through her and a smile broke across Jane’s face, not fading even as she practically skipped across the driveway to reach the front door. Could it be?

“Emily!” Jane flung the door open into the living room, and she beamed at the sight of Anne and Emily sitting together surrounded by half-emptied boxes.

“Jane, welcome home!” Emily returned her smile and, without hesitation, Jane closed the distance between them with an eager hug.

“I haven’t seen you in over a year! But I’m finally in Forks, so that better change. No excuses,” Jane huffed, pulling away to get a good look at her old friend.

Of course, this wasn’t the same face she’d always been used to.

Emily Young, her friend since junior high, was and always had been beautiful. Not even her worst injury could change that. Jane’s gaze brushed over the three deep, twisting scars that lined the right side of her face, dragging the corner of her mouth against the smile that had popped up on her face at their reunion.

The last time Jane had seen Emily, she’d just been out of the hospital for a terrible bear attack. It wasn’t long after that that she’d suddenly moved out of Neah Bay, coming to Forks for seemingly no reason — until her engagement was announced shortly after.

The move and engagement had originally rubbed Jane the wrong way, and she could admit that it was entirely her own fault that their friendship had suffered because of it. It wasn’t Emily’s fault that Jane hadn’t visited until months afterwards. Between the sudden disappearance of her friend, especially after a terrible accident, and the rapid engagement with a man that Jane had never met, she had.. well, taken it personally. For a short period of time, it felt that Emily had become a different person, with different friends and a different life that didn’t include her in it.

Things changed once Jane’s sister had made the announcement that they were moving to Forks. Now, Emily was here within the week to help them unpack and it seemed like a year hadn’t passed at all.

“How was your first day at the new school?”

Jane turned away from Emily then to face her sister, who had gotten up from where she’d been seated on the floor amidst all the boxes.

“It was good, honestly,” Jane answered, unable to keep her own surprise out of her voice. “Actually, I’m even going to First Beach with some friends from school this weekend. They seem pretty nice. Well, most of them.”

Anne grinned at that, absolutely unable to hide her delight. It was no secret that the two of them were related. They had the same beaming smile, the same almond-shaped eyes, even the same dimple on their left cheek. However, the similarities ended there.

Jane had always admired her older sister. She’d tried to follow in her footsteps and become an artist, dealing with sculptures and paintings, but she had lacked the patience that Anne had mastered after years of dealing with Jane as a child. Even now, the only thing Jane could master art-wise was photography, but that alone had brought a smile to Anne’s face and she had never given up on it.

“First Beach?” Emily echoed, drawing Jane’s attention back to her once more. “The boys are planning on going there this weekend, too. Maybe we could all get together,” she suggested with a smile. She was always so nice, like a mother to her friends. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard about _the boys_ , nor would it be the last, Jane knew that for sure.

“It’s about time I meet them, I guess,” Jane laughed, coming to sit beside them among all the boxes. Her friend's smile grew at that, almost mischievously, something that Jane did not miss. “You haven’t told them anything embarrassing about me, right? Please tell me you didn’t.”

Emily laughed heartily, her melodic voice full of amusement.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this story takes place in the months after the Cullens have left Forks. The Cullens have been gone for a few months and Bella has just started becoming better friends with Jacob, so she will be perking up soon.
> 
> Some timeline issues that I have changed around for the sake of my story:  
> \- Claire Young is not a two-year-old in my story! I understand what Stephanie Meyers was going for with the imprinting not being specific on their age and that it would have never been romantic between Quil and Claire, but I'm just not about it in my own story. Therefore, she will be a grade below Quil so she is still a tiny bit younger than the other characters, but she's not a kid!  
> \- Jacob and all the others have already phased for the first time and they're officially shapeshifters.


	2. First Beach

The weekend approached steadily amidst unfamiliar hallways and now-familiar faces, and before Jane knew it, her first week at her new school was over. Miraculously, the sun was there to greet her Saturday morning, shining confidently through the window above her bed that she still had yet to cover. Undoubtedly, her curtains were still buried in some box, but she didn’t mind the natural light anyways.

The house was still a mess, but it was slowly becoming _their_ mess. Anne’s artwork and smallest sculptures had already found their places across the walls and counters, and along the way, her sister had even pinned up some of her favorite photos from Jane’s attempts at photography over the years. As she walked through the living room, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her sister taking the time to weed out the best of her attempts and line them up so patiently along the wall.

Anne’s car was already gone by the time Jane had woken up. Staring through the tiny front window at the absence in the driveway, Jane tried to brush off the weight that had settled against her heart as she walked through the small, empty house.

With the way she felt at that moment, just being home without her sister, it shouldn’t have been surprising that Jane had agreed to move to Forks with her sister rather than stay on the reservation with a relative. Jane and Anne had been never been apart for more than a week or two at a time, in which young Jane had been a handful for her caretakers when she was still young enough to need supervision while Anne was gone.

“Gone to class, then a shift at work. I’ll be home by 8. Have fun today,” Jane read in a quiet voice, the slip of paper light and fragile in her hand as she placed it back on the counter where Anne had left it earlier that morning.

Right, today was the day she’d be meeting her friends down at First Beach! Perked up once more, Jane rummaged through the fridge and began to prepare her own breakfast, a serving just big enough for one.

While her sister may have been a talent in the arts, she did not translate that into her cooking in the slightest. Perhaps her creativity got in the way of realizing she would have to eat what she’d made, because often times, they would end up saving dinner with bowls of soup or cereal. As soon as Jane was old enough to look over the stove and reach the top of shelf of the fridge, it was up to her to make sure they didn’t survive on cereal for another night.

Their mom used to be the chef of the family, Jane recalled as she stood at the counter beside the stove, bringing the little paper note back into her hands and reading over her sister’s handwriting once more.

It had been hard for Anne, she knew that. It had been three of them in that house for so long: Jane, Anne, and Mom. Then, when Jane was eight, it was suddenly just the two of them. At the time, she hadn’t understood, but now that she was older, she could try to imagine what Anne had gone through when their mother had passed. At the moment, Jane was as old as her sister was when she was suddenly responsible for a child and dealing with the grief that came with all of it. A 17-year-old responsible for an 8-year-old. She couldn’t imagine it.

From what Anne had told Jane, it hadn’t happened as suddenly as she remembered. As young as she was, she’d been sent off to play with her friends so as to avoid seeing her mother ill, but Anne had to be there through all of it. In the span of a few months, the light went out of her eyes and she was not the bubbly, laughing mother that they had grown up with, but she was still loving even until the end. That much Jane could remember.

The smell of burning food brought her out of her memories, and Jane yelped as she quickly brought her meal away from the burner. Hopefully she wasn’t too late and it was ruined, she thought as she waved a dishrag through the air, dissipating the thin smoke that had started to gather where she’d been cooking. So much for being the chef of the family.

___________________________________

  
First Beach rested within La Push where the Quileute reservation was settled. Jane knew that much just from her talks with Emily, as she spent all of her time there with her fiancée, Sam Uley. Oh, and of course, “the boys.” How could she forget?

Morning passed and before long, it was time to head to First Beach.

Jane locked the door on her way out, leaving her own note in the kitchen beside her sister’s to explain where she’d gone. Of course, they could call each other, but it just made it easier and she didn’t have to interrupt Anne’s class with a text. Before she got there, Jane pulled over and made a quick stop to grab a couple of two-liters on the way. The last impression she wanted to make on her new friends was that she was the kind of person to show up to a cookout with nothing in hand.

By the looks of it, Jane was one of the last to get there. She hopped out of her truck and reached over the seat to grab the two-liters that she’d set in the passenger seat, shutting the door with her foot as she turned away to head down to the beach.

Mike met her halfway, his overly-zealous effort to help her making her smile as she handed off some of her burden.

“I figured you’d need some help!” He was saying as he approached her, stepping over the rocks that lined the beach. Despite the sun, they were still covered in jackets and blankets were draped over the lawn chairs that someone had dragged over to a nice, clear spot amongst the sand and rocks. “I’m happy you came along! We were kind of worried you wouldn’t. I mean, not to say you would’ve flaked or anything, but I just-”

Jane cut off his backtracking with a short laugh, shaking her head. “You’re fine, Mike. Stop worrying. Thanks for letting me tag along,” she mused with a smile as they approached the rest of the group.

Of course, the first voice she could hear over the sound of the ocean was Jessica’s.

“Eric, you can’t just put a bunch of sticks together and call that a fire!” Jane couldn’t hear Eric’s mumbled response, but based on the way Jessica huffed, she assumed it hadn’t gone over smoothly enough for her liking.

With Mike’s help, they set up the bottles in the sand, digging a shallow enough hole that they stood up and wouldn’t get knocked over or shaken up. Jane looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching them across the sand, straightening back up with a smile.

“Wow, Mikey, I didn’t know you were such a gentleman,” Ben teased, coming up to the boy and thrusting his arm across his shoulders, nearly knocking him over.

“What- No, I’m not. I mean, I was just helping her out,” Mike groaned. Jane grinned sheepishly as she tried to not notice the blush that had burst across the boy’s face, or at least pretend she didn’t notice.

Ben just laughed, still not releasing the embarrassed Mike. She took that moment to slip away, leaving the two of them half-tangled as she made her way over to Eric and Jessica, both of which had their backs towards her. 

Their attempt at a fire was looking dismal at best. Jessica seemed to be taking on a supervisor role, something that probably didn’t help poor Eric as he tried to stack the small twigs and sticks across the sand.

“Not going well, huh?” Jane turned at Angela’s voice, immediately feeling a smile grow on her face at the arrival of the quiet girl.

“It could be better. I’m staying out of it. I don’t want to lose my head,” She replied, earning a quick laugh that made Jess turn her head ever so slightly, bottom lip puckered in what could’ve been a pout.

It was then that she noticed the camera that hung around Angela’s neck, the weight of it pulling against the lanyard that held it up. Her friend’s hand was positioned protectively around it, not allowing it to hang without support in the slightest.

“You’re a photographer?” Jane asked, eyes bright and curious as she took in the sight of the camera. It was better than anything she’d had before, more than just a “hobby” camera. It was beautiful!

Angela looked down at her camera and, for the first time, lit up with enthusiasm. “I don’t know if I’d call myself a photographer,” Angela started, turning the device over in her hands, admiring it for herself. “I’ve done a few gigs, if you’d even call it that. Mostly just pictures for friends or for my family, but I’m hoping to get a real website set up and actually start being an official photographer.”

Amazed with her sudden confidence, Jane nodded as she listened, smiling. “I think you’d really get along with my sister, Anne. She’s the one who got me into photography, but it’s just a hobby for me. No websites or gigs in my life yet,” she chuckled. “I’ve got a camera at home, but it’s nothing close to this one. This camera is amazing.”

Angela seemed slightly abashed as she lifted it from around her neck, handing it delicately over to Jane with the same care as one might hand off a child. “You can take a look! I don’t mind. From one photographer to another,” she told her, though the way her gaze focused on the camera made Jane doubt that she was as carefree as she was showing.

Jane accepted the camera gingerly, the weight of it in her hands making her heart race as she turned it over, checking out every nook and cranny. This must have been hundreds of dollars, if not more.

Her curious inspection was interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming shut, and normally she wouldn’t have thought twice about it until she heard Jessica’s incredulous exclamation.

“No way.”

Angela and Jane shared a confused glance, searching for what Jessica had been upset over. At first, she didn’t even notice what had been worth that reaction. Five people were making their way down the path to the rocky beach, two of them towering over the others. One face was instantly familiar.

Emily smiled at Jane as they reach the end of the path, approaching them with less ferocity than the two taller boys, one of which she recognized as Sam Uley, her fiancée. There was another boy as well, slightly younger and not quite as tall, with a less imposing presence. That wasn’t the problem, though.

The pale girl in the back of the group was almost unrecognizable outside of the cafeteria, but Jessica had recognized her immediately.

“Bella? I thought you weren’t coming?” Mike spoke up before Jessica could, confused but way more welcoming than Jess had been. The girl had tightened her lips into two straight lines, apparently physically holding herself back from speaking once Mike had interrupted her.

“Oh, um,” Bella glanced at one of the boys beside her, gesturing sheepishly at him with a weak smile. “I actually.. was only coming out here with Jacob. Emily saw us and brought us over. I didn’t realize all this was going on today.” Her explanation sounded as weak as her smile, but Angela just shook her head before Jane could even ask. It really was true that she didn’t listen to a word that went on at school.

“Well, this is what’s going on,” Jessica laughed awkwardly, rubbing the palms of her hands against her jeans briefly before she cleared her throat. “The more the merrier, right? There’s not enough chairs, but I guess we can all stick around.” Her words came out sounding just as awkward as her laugh.

Still, nobody moved. That was, until the youngest of the group poked his head around, his cheerful features breaking out in a shameless grin. “What’re you guys cooking?”

The boy next to Bella, Jacob, reached over and cuffed him across the arm, making Emily and Bella laugh. “Of course the first thing on your mind is food, Seth!” Jacob complained, and just like that, the tension was gone. Well, mostly.

With the moment seemingly passed, Jane turned to Angela and gently returned the camera to her, freeing her to go check on Jessica and the others while Emily crossed the beach to approach her.

“I didn’t know we were such drama magnets,” Emily was saying as she got closer to Jane, giving her an apologetic smile as she reached out and brought her friend into a hug. Sam followed close behind, as he always did, though he did seem less tense than she had last remembered.

“It’s fine, I guess I should’ve mentioned I had invited you at all,” Jane apologized, returning her hug with a relieved sigh. At least it was quiet again, though Jessica still seemed like she was simmering near the fire. Poor Eric would still have to deal with her.

“Sam, long time no see,” she continued with a grin. She’d warmed up to him in the past year, slowly but surely. It had only taken one visit in person to see that he was perfect for Emily. The doubts of their quick engagement, the accident, his past relationship (yes, she had definitely heard about that), all of it faded away once Jane could see for herself how much love there was between the two of them. Since then, she’d still considered him pretty serious, but she knew he was a truly kind person.

Sam returned the smile, though she knew that the only reason he had lost his serious expression was because of the way Emily was beaming up at him at that moment.

“Sadly, it won’t be for long. I came to bring Emily and Jacob over, then I’m taking Seth up to the cliffs.”

“The cliffs?”

She turned her attention onto the sheer cliffside that framed the beach. There were shorter cliffs to jump from, but from Sam’s proud gaze, she knew that they would be going higher.

“Surely you won’t be jumping from the top, right? That drop would kill you,” Jane said aghast, expecting Emily to back her up. He had to be joking, right?

Instead, Emily surprised her. “They’re tougher than they look, Jane. I promise,” she told her and, seeing her wide eyes, quickly added, “I wouldn’t let Sam do anything that would hurt him, or any of the other boys! They do this all the time.”

Okay, so they weren’t joking. “Alright,” Jane breathed, letting it out before she reached out to take Emily’s hand, dragging her gently over to her side. “Well, Sam, you better get going then. And you better hope that you make it out okay, ‘cause if you don’t, well,” she looked over at Emily with a sly smile, flashing a dramatic wink her way. “I’ll be here to comfort her!”

Emily laughed gleefully, shaking her head with exasperation. “Alright, relax,” she warned Jane playfully, breaking away to return to her fiancée. “Be safe, I love you,” she murmured, just loud enough that she was able to overhear. Sam’s smile seemed like there was more behind it as he nodded and gave her a brief kiss— or perhaps it was supposed to be. It was like they’d forgotten that they weren’t alone, taking in their goodbye kiss for all it was worth.

“Break it up, you two. Get a room,” Jacob called from behind them, his voice muffled by the chips that he had managed to snag from the pile of food that they’d gathered. Sam glared half-heartedly in Jacob’s direction, but apparently the other boy didn’t mind, as he just shrugged his shoulders and turned his back to the two of them.

A few more goodbyes later and Sam was off, Seth following at his heels as they disappeared across the lot and into the forest, undoubtedly making their own path up to the top of the cliffs. Jane shuddered at the thought of that drop, but if Emily was fine with it..

“Hey, relax,” her friend piped up, drawing her attention away from the path where they’d disappeared. “They’ll be fine. Why don’t you introduce me so we can all sit down and eat some good food.”

“Good idea.” Turning away to lead Emily back to the group, she noticed the faint smell of smoke finally drifting their way. They’d finally gotten the fire started sometime while the three of them were talking and most of them were already starting to dig in. She led Emily to a spot near the fire and grabbed her a cup, pouring the both of them a drink before they got settled.

So, the boy next to Bella was named Jacob. The name rung a bell, but he looked like nobody she’d ever met before.. “Emily!” She exclaimed suddenly, nearly spilling their drinks as she sat down in the sand next to her friend. “That’s not _Jacob_ , is it? Jacob Black?” She whispered hastily into her ear, handing off her cup with bewilderment.

There was no way that that was the same Jacob. She recalled a picture that Emily had sent her after she’d moved to Forks, just after her engagement had been announced. In the picture had been several Quileute members, young and old, celebrating the groom- and bride-to-be. One familiar face stuck out in her memory now, though the body didn’t match the photo at all.

“You said he was like 16!”

“Yeah, a year ago,” Emily huffed, though she seemed amused at Jane’s reaction.

“Okay, so he’s what, 17 now? You don't get that muscular in a year, at least not at my high school. Are you hanging out with body-builders or something now, Em?” She was joking, but still, the thought was there. He looked so much younger in that photo. How had it only been a year ago?

Emily laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder to set her back in the sand. Apparently she had been a little less than inconspicuous with her whispering, leaning up close to her ear, but she couldn’t help it! What kind of logic was this? Actually, perhaps she should’ve been less obvious; was Jacob smiling because of something Bella had said or had he overheard them? She hoped he hadn’t.

“The Quileute are just like that,” Em explained vaguely, her smile widening at Jane’s disappointed face. “That’s really all there is! No superfood, or hormones, or anything of the sort. Sam used to be the same way, apparently. He’s never shown me any pictures, though,” she mused with a gentle laugh.

Not exactly the answer she was expecting, but apparently she wasn’t getting more than that. “Hmm.. Then next time, we should try to find those pictures. I can use them as blackmail the next time he tries to eat your face for a whole minute.”

That didn’t get the laugh she’d expected, at least, not as quickly. Maybe it was a weird way to word it.

Suddenly, Emily reach out and tapped her leg rapidly, pointing up at the cliffside. “Look, there they are,” she breathed, turning in the sand to give Jane a clearer view.

From here, all she could make out was the general silhouettes of the boys at the top of the cliff, gathering slowly from the woods and approaching the edge. One, two, three, four, five.. six. Two of them had to be Sam and Seth, but at this distance, she couldn’t even make out Seth’s shorter figure compared to the others.

“Alright, let’s make our bets,” Jacob started behind them, and she forced herself to look away from the scene to face the Quileute boy. “Emily, for your sake, you better not be bias. I know you’re always hoping Sam will jump first, but you haven’t won that bet yet,” he warned with a toothy grin which Emily returned with a mockingly sad expression.

“Wait, can I bet, too?” Jane asked, jumping in to shift the conversation before Emily could find the time to spend all day defending her Sam. “Who all is up there?”

Jacob didn’t hesitate, bringing Bella with him as they all came to settle down in the sand, facing the cliffs with their backs to the fire while the others continued their banter in the background. She scooted over to make room for the girl, casting a smile in her direction and patting the sand beside her. Perhaps she wasn’t the most social, but Jane didn’t mind. If Emily and Jacob liked her, she would try to like her, too.

Once they were all settled, Jacob raised his arm and vaguely gestured to the group atop the cliff. “Okay, so we have Sam and Seth, who you both already know,” he explained, involving Bella now as the two of them nodded in acknowledgement.

“Then there’s Quil and Embry,” he continued, trying his best to point out their silhouettes. “They’re more my age, we were in the same class so if I say that they’re gonna chicken out, you should probably believe me. Or don’t, cause this is a betting game!” His eye sight must be phenomenal to be able to tell them apart, Jane thought, though maybe it came with the familiarity of growing up together.

“And then we have Sam’s right-hand man, Jared.” He shifted his pointer finger, gesturing now to one of the boys that had joined the cluster that made up Quil, Embry, and Seth, probably giving them a pep talk of some sort. Maybe. Who was she to guess?

“What about the last one?” Bella piped up, her melancholy voice low compared to Emily’s melodic one, though it was pleasant all the same. She really had to stop analyzing this girl.

“That one,” Emily intercepted, giving Jacob a grin as he pouted at the interruption, “Is Paul Lahote.” The boy in question was settled the closest to the edge of the cliff, standing apart from the large cluster. He would walk to the edge, then pace back to the group, as if hurrying them along. Or, on the opposite end, maybe he had gotten cold feet?

He was either the most enthusiastic or the least, either in a hurry to get in the water or in a hurry to get back to the path. It was hard to tell which end of the confidence spectrum he fell into, and she hesitated to think about betting on him. Perhaps it would be better to bet on Jared, who seemed pretty confident by the way he was hanging around the group.

“I’m betting on Sam being the first one in,” Emily announced faithfully, receiving Jacob’s playful scowl with a sheepish shrug.

“Well, _I_ like to win,” Jacob started, nudging Bella’s shoulder with his own, “And I assume you do, too, Bells. So I think that we should bet on Jared.” Bella seemed content with that, the first smile Jane had seen on her face appearing under Jacob’s playful tone.

“So? Who’re you betting on, Jane?”

The three of them looked at her expectantly.

“I think..” She hesitated, watching the silhouettes turn back and forth until she could hardly remember which was which. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just a small bet, right?

“I’m betting on Paul.”

Jacob and Emily both took her answer with good-natured smiles, turning to face the cliffs once more.

“C’mon, Jared, we’re counting on you. It’s my dinner at stake,” Jacob pleaded under his breath, and Jane couldn’t be sure if he was joking.

The next ten seconds were painfully slow as they watched one silhouette break apart from the group, taking long strides across the rocky clifftop all the way to the edge. It seemed like it was almost too late and he would inevitably miss the edge, but at the last possible moment—

Paul jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paul has finally been introduced from afar! I know it may be going slow, but this is the path I wanted to take to introduce the characters and their dynamics with Jane and also take the time to get familiar with dialogue. This is my first story, so I am learning along the way.
> 
> If you've managed to make it all the way through the first and second chapter and are reading this now, thank you to you in particular! I hope you continue to enjoy my work!


	3. Bella Swan

That day on the beach, Jane had learned three things. Jacob Black could fit an impossible amount of food in his stomach without puking — Mike and Eric could not; in Forks, even if the forecast said it would be sunny, it would inevitably rain when you least expect it; and, the most surprising of all, Bella Swan could smile.

Without a single umbrella between the lot of them, everyone had to surrender to the pouring rain as they worked to gather all of the chairs back up into the back of Mike’s car. Jane tried to ignore his sighs as his seats inevitably got soaked.

Angela and Ben were among the first to leave — she couldn’t risk getting her camera wet, though it did take Ben’s encouragement to get her to go ahead and get in the car instead of staying out there to help pack up.

Hood up to protect herself from the rain, Jane took her final trek up to the eroded parking lot and found that there was a small cluster surrounding the car parked beside her. Jacob, Emily, and Bella all stood near the doors, the latter of which had her arms wrapped securely around her body without a jacket or hood to protect her. Even from here, she could tell that the poor girl was shivering. Without this jacket, Jane would’ve been in the same boat.

“What’s going on? Why haven’t you guys left yet?” She called as she approached them, splashing her way over to the three of them.

“We can’t leave until Sam and the others get over here,” Emily answered from the driver’s side door, shifting from foot to foot in the cold. “He has the keys,” she moaned miserably. Looking up at the cliff now, Jane couldn’t see anyone at the top. Were they already on their way down?

“We can’t just stand here all day,” Jacob huffed. Unlike the three of them, he wasn’t shivering at all despite not wearing a jacket or even more than a regular T-shirt. Was Emily sure that he wasn’t using some kind of hormones?

“Well, if he’s got the keys, he can get in his own truck when he gets here,” Jane croaked, feeling the cold seeping through her jacket now with them just standing there, letting the rain pour down on them. “I’ll drive you guys home. Let’s just get inside, alright?”

“Oh, Jane, thank you!” Emily was quick to take the offer, willing to put her own caregiving personality aside. If she hadn’t been soaked, maybe she would’ve hesitated, but not today. Bella also seemed relieved, but to her surprise, Jacob was the one who shook his head.

“Take these two home, but I’m gonna wait on Sam. They need to get home faster than I do, and your truck is small enough as is,” he explained, grinning despite Jane’s bewildered expression.

“You’ll freeze out here, it could take them half an hour to get back down with all this rain,” she tried to argue, but the boy ignored her to turn and encourage Bella towards her truck.

“I’ll be fine. I don’t want all of you guys to catch a cold. Just head on.” His tone left little room for argument, though he wasn’t rude or forceful about it. Just firm. Rather than his tone, it was the rain that spurred Jane along.

“Alright, fine, whatever! Don’t get mad when you freeze on the spot!” She huffed through her chattering teeth, leading Emily and Bella over to her truck and getting into the safe refuge from the rain that beat against her windshield.

Once inside, she chucked her jacket off, tossing the soaked material on the back floorboard by Emily’s feet. “Sorry Em, just kick it aside,” She warned over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted was to keep that heavy, cold jacket on her when it wasn’t doing any good. None of them were warm enough to even laugh or complain as she backed out of the lot, heading towards Emily’s house.

Between the three of them and their shivering bodies, the inside of the truck did start to warm up despite the lack of a true heater. Still, it would’ve been nice.

“Sorry, Bella. Emily’s used to my broken heater, but it would’ve come in handy now,” she chattered as they sped down the main road back to Forks. Her wipers were working overtime now, but looking at the horizon, she could see lighter clouds and even a bit of sunshine. Just a pop-up storm, but man, it packed a punch.

“I-It’s okay,” Bella stammered politely, trying to hide her discomfort. Her wet jacket clung to her body. “You know, Jacob’s pretty good with cars. Maybe he c-could help,” the girl offered. Jane smiled at that, thinking back to what she’d last said to the over-sized boy.

“Think he’ll still help me after I told him to freeze out there?” She croaked half-heartedly, making Emily laugh in the backseat as they approached her home. It was even more secluded than her own, with a nice “vacation in a log cabin” feel. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen it, but it still looked so sweet and homely. Like she could come back here if she ever had any trouble.

“Tell Sam to leave the keys with you next time!” Jane called out as Emily hopped out of the back seat of the truck, earning a little wave over her shoulder as her friend hurried to get under the safety of the shallow front porch.

Then it was just her and Bella.

Alone.

In a truck, without even a radio station playing.

Had she always been this bad at starting conversations?

Glancing at her passenger, it seemed like Bella was also feeling awkward. The girl was staring out the window at the passing tree line, almost like her life depended on it. What was she thinking about?

They’d almost made it to Bella’s house when she broke the silence.

“So, Jacob Black, huh?”

Bella started at that, peeling her gaze away from the window and back over to Jane. “What do you mean?”

Jane smiled and shrugged nonchalantly, keeping her eyes on the road ahead of them. “I was just surprised you were friends with him. He’s not like any of the people at our school. Is that why you like hanging out with him?” She asked. Yes, she was prying. But hell, small talk was just something that she didn’t practice.

“I don’t think it’s that,” Bella answered, looking away from her once again. It seemed like that was all she was going to get, but before the silence could drag on, the pale girl sighed.

“Or.. maybe it is. I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to pry. I’m a stranger to you,” Jane apologized.

Again, there was a pause between Bella’s responses, as if she were thinking quite hard about her answer before putting it out into the world. The rumble of the engine tried to drown out the silence.

“I was the new girl here at Forks, too. Last year. They were my first friends,” she told Jane, sounding tired. “It’s just.. Being at the school, it’s hard. It’s not the same as before.” The girl paled as she spoke, putting a hand against her throat as if to protect herself. Protect her from what?

Mike’s explanation rose from her memories.

_She’s been depressed ever since the Cullens left town. Her boyfriend, Edward, was one of them. The whole family just up and left one day. Apparently their dad got some new job and packed them all up, but it was weird. Like, really weird. They had to send a search party out for Bella the day they left; they found her in the woods by herself in the middle of the night. Everyone was freaking out._

_Ever since then, she’s been like.. this._

There were a few theories thrown around, but Jane couldn’t keep track of them all. Nobody spoke about it near Bella. Looking at her now, she could see why.

“This is my house,” Bella croaked, drawing Jane out of her thoughts with a jerk. She pulled to the driveway, pausing by the curb. A police car was sitting in her driveway, turned off and with no lights on, but it caught her off guard.

“Is something wrong? Why’s there a cop at your house?” Jane asked naively, blind to the most obvious answer sitting right beside her.

“That’s my dad’s.”

Jane jumped at the answer, mouth open as she looked over at the cruiser again. Then, she laughed.

“You should’ve told me your dad was a cop! I wouldn’t have been speeding the whole way here!” She exclaimed, reaching out and tapping the back of her hand against Bella’s arm lightly. “Don’t scare me like that,” she laughed.

Bella’s smile returned at that as she opened the passenger door, hopping onto the curb and turning to face her without closing the door. The rain had lightened up to a light sprinkle, much to her relief.

“Does it make it better or worse that he’s the chief of police?” Bella ventured, her attempt at teasing sounding somewhat awkward coming from her, but it made Jane laugh nonetheless.

“I’m gonna get so many tickets in this town,” Jane groaned jokingly, giving Bella a parting smile. “See you, Bella. Don’t catch a cold.”

Bella nodded and closed the passenger door, heading up the driveway. She paused at the front door, turning back around to find that Jane was still there before giving her a weak wave.

Jane returned the favor and, realizing she’d been sitting there way too long, pulled away from the shoulder and started back towards home. What a weird day. And who knew that the weirdest part of her day would be Bella Swan, the daughter of the chief of police?

___________________________________

  


January gave way to February, and February gave way to March. Jane had gotten used to their routine, though some things were easier than others.

After the beach trip, Bella had seemed to warm up a bit at the lunch table, at least for Angela and Jane. Honestly, she was surprised that she was also included in that little group, not that she was going to complain. Bella was easier to handle than Jessica, who had actually backed off once the attention surrounding Jane wore off.

It was clear enough to her that Angela had been waiting for this day. There were so many photos that she shared with Bella at the table, enough so that she nearly ignored Ben the whole first week while they caught up.

It didn’t happen overnight. It took a few days for Bella to get used to saying “hi” when the two of them reached the table, and it took even longer to continue the conversation past that. Being in the school really was hard for her, Jane couldn’t doubt that. The Bella she’d met at the beach had stayed there, but slowly but surely, she was making her way back to the Bella she knew here at Forks High School.

Jacob Black had a lot to do with it, she was sure of that. But she hoped that her presence helped a bit, too. Unlike Jacob and Angela, she had never met Edward Cullen. And perhaps that was all she had to offer to Bella, but it was enough.

Jane had officially lived in Forks, Washington for two entire months when she found herself in the middle of Bella Swan’s living room for the first time.

Charlie Swan seemed just as surprised as she was, though he tried his best not to show it. Her first time meeting the chief of police went better than she’d expected; at least she hadn’t met him on the shoulder of a road after getting pulled over!

“Bella, I didn’t know you were having anyone over,” he was saying as Jane stood near the door. They’d apparently met Charlie on his way out, and maybe that was on purpose on Bella’s part.

“It’s just a couple of friends,” Bella explained blandly, gesturing over in Jane’s direction. “Jane just moved here a few weeks ago, and..” Her voice lowered even more, as if she didn’t want her to overhear. The living room was so small, though, that it was impossible for it not to carry. “You’ve been telling me to hang out with my other friends. She’s not Jacob. Does that fit the mark?”

Charlie blinked at that, glancing between the two of them. “It’ll be.. just the two of you?”

“Ah, no sir,” Jane answered first, gaining his dazed attention. “Angela’s going to be here too.”

Ah, their little study group. It wasn’t as fun as others would’ve liked, but the fact that Bella had invited them over in the first place was interesting enough that she couldn’t resist. Her test scores could use the help, too.

“Well then,” Charlie breathed, hands on his hips as if he didn’t know what to do. Outside, a horn honked impatiently. “If I’d known, maybe I could’ve stayed. I don’t have to go. Billy and Harry can go fishing without me for one weekend,” he started, but Bella let out a little, typical teenage groan. It sounded more normal than any sound she’d ever made before.

“No, Dad, it’s fine. Go fish, have fun. Don’t worry about babysitting us, we’re fine,” she encouraged him, grabbing his bag for him and handing it off. “We’ll be fine,” She repeated.

“Okay, well,” Charlie stalled, though he didn’t drop his bag. He started to make his way towards the door as another honk resounded from the driveway, but he paused halfway out the doorway. “You guys can chill, or hang, or whatever it is you guys do these days. You can mess the house up, that’s fine. Just have fun, okay?” It seemed like it was more directed at Bella than Jane, but the both of them nodded anyways.

And then he was gone.

“He’s a little overprotective. Sorry about that,” Bella sighed, closing the door behind him and heading into the kitchen, Jane in tow.

“No, it’s okay. Honestly, he seems kind of.. lenient. I’ve never met a parent that wanted their kid to mess up the house,” Jane laughed, though the girl didn’t reciprocate.

“I think he’s just glad he doesn’t have to worry about me for a weekend. It’s been a while since anyone’s come over, and he’s always hovering because of that,” Bella explained, her voice quiet and tired. She didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so Jane just nodded, leaning against the counter as the two of them waited.

Angela arrived a few minutes later. “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized, out of breath as she stepped through the door. “My mom absolutely insisted that I had to help my brothers before I left and before I knew it, I was already late,” she panted, setting her book bag down by the stairs.

“You’re fine, Angela, seriously!” Bella’s smile returned.

The three of them headed upstairs and, true to their word, they studied. Or, they tried to. Jane couldn’t bring herself to focus after the first hour, the worksheets and books piling up in her lap until she couldn’t keep her eyes on a single one.

“This is impossible,” she groaned, tossing herself away from the books and onto Bella’s bed. “Angela, why do you do this to us?”

“It was Bella’s idea!” Angela exclaimed, though she seemed tired as well. “Plus, you’re the one who said you needed it the most. This is supposed to be helpful.”

“It’s impossible,” Jane repeated, letting her breath out in a slow, lingering sigh as she laid across the blankets. Bella sat at the head of the bed, legs crossed and a single book open in her lap. From here, Jane could tell that there hadn’t been a single letter written on its pages.

“I think I know what we need,” she stated suddenly, sitting up with a start and turning to look at the two of them. “We need a break!” Angela frowned. “Seriously. Bella’s dad already expects us to not be studying, he even told us we could make a mess if we wanted to. He clearly wanted us to do something other than study!”

Bella smiled sheepishly at that, shrugging her shoulders. “I know. But I don’t want to mess the house up. It’s just the three of us anyways, and I don’t want anyone else over,” she told her.

Jane just shook her head. “That’s fine, it can still be just us! Maybe we don’t even have to stay at the house,” she mused. She brought her hand up to her chin, unknowingly wiping a smudge of ink along her jaw. Angela tried to stifle a laugh.

“Let’s go out!” The simple idea came to her suddenly, and she brought her hand away from her face, giving the two girls a wide smile. “We can go watch a movie or something! It’s not going to be too late anyways, we can catch one of the last movies. I hear there’s a good thriller out right now— Why are you two laughing?”

Angela and Bella just giggled amongst themselves, making Jane wonder if her idea had really been that funny. Maybe it was a good idea and they couldn’t contain themselves? Yeah, that was it!

That was not it.

“You should probably wash your face off before we head out,” Angela chuckled, reaching out and bringing a mirror up to Jane so she could see the smudge of ink along her jaw.

“You guys didn’t tell me until now?!” Jane cried out as she desperately wiped at the smudge, causing them to laugh even more.

___________________________________

There were only a few movies to pick from by the time they made it to the theater. The sun had already set and the latest shows were set to start any minute, but they made it just in time.

Of course, Bella turned down the romance. Angela wanted to watch the romance, but didn’t want to sit through a mystery, either. In the end, there was only one movie choice that was left: the thriller.

Jane hadn’t watched that many movies in theater throughout her life; there just hadn’t been time for it, and the reservation wasn’t entirely famous for its top-notch entertainment centers. So, given the chance, she was more than excited to watch the most thrilling, heart-dropping, startling movie there was.

By the time the movie ended and they walked outside, her heart had just about given out.

“That was so cool! Great choice, Bella!” She was saying as they left the theater, the cold night air cooling off the heat of excitement that she was going through.

Instead of the agreement she’d expected, Angela let out a small, dismayed cry.

“What? What’s wrong?” Jane jumped at the sound, coming up beside her immediately.

“I think I left my wallet in there! It must have fallen out of my jacket,” she said in a panic, patting each of her pockets. She looked distraught. 

“Oh, it’s okay! Don’t worry!” Jane reassured her, Bella nodding in agreement. “What did it look like? I’ll run back inside and get it. They shouldn’t have closed yet,” she offered. “It’s no big deal, we’ll get it back.”

Angela lifted her head then, her dark eyes filled with relief. It was like this girl had never lost a thing in her life. But, that was what she loved about her. “Thank you, really. It’s, um.. It’s black, and it’s got a tan inside. It’s kind of plain but my name is on the inside.”

Jane nodded, making a mental note of her description. “Alright. Why don’t you two head to the car and pick me up at the front?” The two girls nodded and turned back to the lot, heading off to find the car and leaving her on the sidewalk.

Her mission in mind, Jane turned away and started back for the front of the theater. Besides the lights at the entrance and the few streetlights that lined the road, it was darker than she’d remembered.

“Really?” Exasperated, she stopped in front of the main entrance, staring into the dark, deserted theater. Not even a concession worker was left behind, nor anyone she could see that would’ve had a key. She walked up to the doors, raising her hands against the glass so she could see inside.

“Anyone inside? Hello?” She called, banging the side of her hand against the door forcefully. She worried about setting off some kind of alarm, so when nobody walked by, she stopped. “Of course..”

Jane was just about to give up when the sound of voices caught her attention. It wasn’t Angela or Bella, that was for sure. They’d gone to get the car. She drifted away from the theater entrance, peering around the corner. Was someone around back?

Hope sparked in her again. Maybe it was an employee with a key, and they could let her in to get the wallet!

“Hello? Is anyone there?” She called as she passed between the theater and the building beside it, crossing to the alley that led to the back entrance, or where she supposed it would be.

Footsteps shuffled across the concrete further down the alley and, using the sound as a guide, she approached the corner that would lead her to the employee exit. A dim light flickered from its place on the wall, just enough light for her to watch her step. Dark rainwater gathered along the alley floor, catching the light as she stepped through the shallow, lingering puddle.

Why weren’t they answering? The cold air bit at her face, and she wished she could go back to the car. But she’d promised she would try.

“Hey, my friend just left her wallet inside and we need to get.. it..” Her voice trailed off as she stood at the corner, gaze trained at the ground. A dark shadow across her shoes had caught her eye, drastic and contrasting against the light fabric of her laces. Had she stepped in something?

Shit, that wasn’t important right now. Shaking her head to herself, she took the final step around the corner into the light, mouth open to call out for the employee once again.

Her voice caught in her throat.

At first, the scene didn’t look that disturbing. Maybe a couple of teens finding privacy in the back alley. She could’ve understood that, given by the way that the boy’s face was buried in the girl’s neck.

That would’ve been it. It could’ve been. But Jane knew that nobody’s neck was supposed to bend that way. She watched, the hairs on the back of her neck standing stiff and straight, as her head lolled to the side. The girl’s eyes stared endlessly at her, nearly hidden in the shadows where the light couldn’t reach.

What.. had he done to her?

Jane’s gaze fell to the trail of liquid that followed their path, leading all the way up to the two of them against the wall where it inevitably gathered at the girl’s feet. In the light, she could see the way the dark, sticky liquid clung to the concrete. That couldn’t be. This wasn’t happening. She had to get away, had to leave without him turning around and..

“Jane?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jane's first encounter with a vampire.. She's no badass yet, though. This scene will continue into the next chapter!


End file.
